Chapter 444: Home at Last
Upon arriving in First Town, Ernst and his entourage received a warm and enthusiastic welcome—only the second time such a scene had occurred. The last was when Constantino came to East Africa. Although Ernst had previously visited First Town, he had quickly rushed off to join the southern frontlines.
This time was different. A crown prince's wedding deserved to be celebrated properly. Upon arrival in First Town, Ernst and Karina ceremonially "got married" again according to local traditions.
Compared to Vienna, East Africa didn't have so many distinguished guests. After receiving simple blessings from subordinates, the family gathered at Svete Palace.
"Karina, I don't have much to give you, but here's a crown I had specially made in Europe—it's your welcome gift," Constantino said with a smile as he had a servant present the crown to her.
His son was finally married. The next step? Grandchildren—and with them, heirs to the great land and wealth that the Hechingen royal family had built. This meant everything to Constantino. Noble education had ingrained in European aristocrats the paramount importance of family—often even above personal ambition.
Although both Constantino and Ernst were from the House of Hohenzollern, the Hechingen line functioned as a parallel branch alongside the Prussian royal family and the Sigmaringen line. So it was Constantino's hope to see the Hechingen dynasty thrive—and that meant a flourishing family and prosperity in both power and wealth. The latter two were already secured; now they needed heirs.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Karina responded respectfully.
That was the hallmark of the Habsburgs—or more specifically, the result of Empress Sophie's meticulous education.
"Try it on!" Ernst said, placing the crown on Karina's head. With the addition of the crown, she truly looked radiant.
In European royal tradition, married women may wear crowns—though strictly speaking, this was more a feminine adornment than a symbol of power. To Ernst, it served a similar decorative purpose to a hair clip.
East African crowns had never skimped on gemstones. Diamonds, though valuable, were merely the backdrop. The true brilliance came from other, more colorful gems.
Karina's crown left Princess Charlotte momentarily dazed—understandable, since East Africa had no shortage of jewels. Even in resource-scarce places like Kenya, gemstones were abundant. Thankfully, East Africa operated a tightly controlled planned economy.
Otherwise, the locals might've all turned to gemstone mining. That's the fate of many colonies—grains fetch low prices and are non-scarce, while colonizers always preferred high-margin commodities. Hence, profitable exports like gems became the focus of colonial development.
This tendency toward short-term gain with no investment in basic industries ultimately hurt the common people. Without a strong agricultural foundation, even resource-rich nations saw citizens go hungry.
Brazil was a prime example from Ernst's previous life. Despite its global reputation for poverty, especially its infamous favelas, Brazil was a powerful country. Its agriculture and industry were top-tier. Brazil had 1.2 billion mu (80 million hectares) of arable land, supported triple cropping per year, abundant water and heat resources, and a population of just over 200 million.
Brazil's grain output exceeded 200 million tons—over 1 ton per person annually—more than some major Asian countries and approaching the U.S. level. It was one of the world's top grain exporters and ranked first in coffee and sugar exports, second in soybeans.
In theory, there should have been no food shortages. Yet over 50% of Brazilians were undernourished.
That was largely due to Brazil's absurd urbanization rate—over 85%. But its industrial base couldn't support such a large urban population, forcing many into gray and black-market economies. Criminal syndicates flourished.
Brazil's industry couldn't employ all its people—yet it still ranked in the global top ten and even had its own civil aviation manufacturing industry.
To Ernst, any country capable of producing commercial aircraft was formidable.
Ultimately, Brazil's wealth never reached its people. The wealth gap was staggering.
Thus, Ernst believed: No agriculture, no stability. No industry, no strength. No commerce, no wealth. National stability was rooted in agriculture. For developing nations, prioritizing agricultural production and distribution was critical.
Once agriculture was solid, it could fuel industrial growth and reduce dependence on foreign capital. Take East Africa—its growth was explosive. Relying on agriculture alone, it still could've developed, but not nearly so fast. The Hechingen Consortium was the kingdom's "growth accelerator."
For East Africa, the Consortium functioned like a "foreign" investor—an overflow of German productivity. Borrowing money to grow was standard international practice. Ernst's game was classic financial shuffling—moving capital from one pocket to another. But after one round of circulation, East Africa's industrial base expanded significantly.
As for "no commerce, no wealth," that was self-evident. Wealth is relative—if I have one more coin than you, I'm richer. Commerce is about taking other people's money and putting it in your pocket.
To Ernst, there were three ways to do that: robbery, fraud, and trade. Robbery was colonialism, fraud was the financial industry, and trade was export-driven development.
East Africa engaged in all three. Colonialism was the foundation of the kingdom—over 20 million Black Africans had been exploited. The financial sector wasn't viable domestically, but Hechingen Bank handled that. During the economic crisis, Hechingen Bank's assets skyrocketed—by cutting into European and American profits. As for exports—that was self-explanatory.
In this light, Ernst suddenly realized how ruthless he might appear. How many had suffered for East Africa's success? But then again—if he hadn't taken that wealth, it would've gone to Jewish financiers or other foreign capitalists to fund predatory loans. Better to use it for African development.
Lost in thought, Ernst triggered Constantino's disapproval. "Ernst, stop daydreaming. Today's not a normal day. You don't need to think about national affairs!"
"Ah, you're right, Father," Ernst quickly recovered. "I was just admiring Karina, that's all!"
Karina blushed slightly—but that was normal. Aristocratic gatherings always involved mutual flattery.
"Hmm, it better be," Constantino replied with a smile.
"Your Grace, why don't you and your wife move to First Town too?" Constantino suggested to Archduke Ferdinand. "East Africa doesn't have many familiar faces for Karina. She'll need companionship, and you, as her parents, should spend more time with her."
Archduke Ferdinand had been stationed in Bagamoyo due to his naval role—at the time, he was the only one with maritime expertise. Now that the East African Navy had structure and Austrian support, there was less need for him to be hands-on. Constantino also felt it was time to make up for past regrets—when the archduke left Karina behind in Schönbrunn to go rule Mexico.
"Of course. Once I wrap up naval affairs, Charlotte and I will move here," Ferdinand agreed.
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